Civil society group Tindig Pilipinas has filed an obstruction of justice complaint before the Ombudsman against Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, Senator Robin Padilla, and suspended Chief of the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca.

According to the complaint, the three high-profile personalities allegedly played a role in moving Senator Ronald Bato dela Rosa out of the Senate premises following the shooting incident to prevent him from being served a warrant of arrest.

Tindig Pilipinas convenor Kiko Aquino Dee noted the alleged participation of the three: dela Rosa, placed under the Senate's protective custody upon SP Cayetano’s approval; Aplasca, who fired shots in the Senate building; and Padilla, who admitted to letting dela Rosa ride in his vehicle when he left the Senate premises.

Dee added that filing the complaint before the Ombudsman is a continuation of the public’s effort to voice their frustrations over recent events in the Senate.

“Tingin po namin ang akmang venue para sa pag-file nito ay sa Ombudsman, at tsaka ano po continuation lang po ito sa maraming boses mula sa taong bayan, mula sa civil society na nababahala, nalulungkot, nalilito, nagagalit dahil sa nagiging uh kalagayan ng ating Senado ngayon,” he said

[“We believed the appropriate venue to file this is the Ombudsman. Moreover, this is just a continuation of the many voices from the public and civil society, who are alarmed, saddened, confused, and angered by the current state of our Senate recently.”]

In light of this, the group called on the Ombudsman to conduct an impartial investigation to hold those responsible accountable. 

According to Dee, they also provided the International Criminal Court with a copy of the complaint that they had submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman.

This is a developing story.

With reports from Evan Alvarez